11/5/13

Who are those seven men above? Who's the woman? What's with the clouds?

This is one weekend when you'll certainly thank yourself for taking a look at the scriptures before heading off to church on Sunday!

This coming weekend finds us celebrating on the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
These end-of-the-liturgical-year scriptures draw our attention to
the end times. This Sunday's scriptures does that AND offers an
opportunity for preachers to give a nod to November, the month of All
Souls. In the gospel from Luke, some Sadducees (who denied a resurrection
from the dead) pose something of a riddle to Jesus. In his wisdom, Jesus
answers and disarms his questioners, teaching not only about the
resurrection but also something about marriage.

Only ONE bride, not seven, for the seven brothers here!

(You really DO want to take a look at these texts ahead of time!)

There are also seven brothers in the first scripture this weekend - but
theirs is a different story. Faced with suffering and death for their
faithfulness to their God (refusing to eat pork), they give an early
testimony to their belief in life after death.

Unrelated to the thematic resonance in the first and third scriptures of
the day, the passage from the second letter to the Thessalonians finds
Paul encouraging his readers not to worry about the time of the Second
Coming but rather to stand firm in their faith in the moment. Today, and
certainly in any 12 step group, Paul would write, "Keep it in today!"

The texts of these scriptures and commentary on them can be found here and if you're shepherding youngsters to Mass, check here for hints on helping them prepare to hear the Lord's Word.

Are you thinking about becoming a Catholic?

The best place to start is always one of your local Catholic churches. Drop in some Sunday and see what's going on. Then you might speak to the pastor or someone on the parish staff about how they can help you and respond to your questions.